Line upon Line

Using Agency and Revelation to Make Life Decisions

Throughout my life, I have always been able to rely on the promise that God would hear and answer my prayers. Over and over again, I experienced the reassuring feeling of peace that the decisions I was making in my life were in line with the plan God had in mind for me. I knew what it felt like to receive an answer to my prayers, and I felt complete confidence in my decisions as a result.

All of that changed two and a half years ago.

In 2015, I was halfway through graduate school and had just begun the recruiting process for the next year’s summer internship—the internship that would determine my job. After an unexpectedly positive interview process, I ended up with multiple offers from firms in different cities. Recognizing the impact of the decision on the trajectory of my life, I took my dilemma to the Lord and employed the familiar model found in D&C 9:8-9 to “study it out in [my] mind” and then to ask God if it was right, knowing that if it was right, I would feel that comforting burning in my bosom, make my decision, and confidently move on to the next stage of life.

However, unlike previous experiences, that burning never came. Every time I came close to making a decision, I felt nothing but confusion and silence. No matter what I did, I could not seem to find the path that felt “right.” Over time, I even started to wonder if I was no longer worthy to receive answers from God.